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That was how Jose Rizal University ( JRU )coach Vergel Meneses described his team’s heart-stopping 65-64 victory over undermanned Mapua on opening day of Season 88 of the NCAA.

After Mapua’s homegrown rookie Andrew Estrella tied the game for the last time at 64-all, John Lopez split his free throws with less than 40 seconds left to give JRU the edge in the tight game, which saw eight deadlocks and 11 lead changes.

JRU then kept the Cardinals scoreless to bag the opening victory. But Meneses said the win left a lot to be desired.

Meneses added that he expects better effort from his wards in their upcoming matches.

“Every game is a championship game. We’re not that strong. We have to play hard on defense for 40 minutes if we want to keep winning,” he said.

Lopez, who is playing in his final year for the Heavy Bombers, delivered 20 points while Nate Matute added 16.

Estrella had a sizzling debut with 22 points, while last season’s top rookie Josan Nimes added 13, but missed a late three-pointer that could have won the game for Mapua, which was playing without four newcomers who were disallowed from playing because of residency issues.

De La Salle clamped up on defense when it mattered most as it survived Mapua, 56-51, Wednesday to move on to the next phase of the Philippine Collegiate Championship League (PCCL) at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Green Archers lost a 48-41 lead but made the necessary adjustments that held the Cardinals scoreless in the last 4:05 of the game.

Luigi Dela Paz led La Salle’s balanced attack with 11 points, nine of which came in the second half.

Almond Vosotros added 10 points, including a free throw that gave the Archers a 54-51 breathing room with 19.1 seconds left.

Mapua still had enough time but Jonathan Banal’s quick-two point attempt went out.